


Lux Et Umbra

by Xephin



Series: Lux Et... [2]
Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Gen, M/M, Minor Character Death, Original Characters - Freeform, pew pew pew shoot shoot shoot, umm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-20
Updated: 2014-05-04
Packaged: 2018-01-20 03:43:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1495315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xephin/pseuds/Xephin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel to Lux Et Tenebrae that follows Merak as he tries to find Xephos and his crashed ship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was too much. The sound of unrelenting gunfire filled his ears and he was so sure he could smell smoke that could have only come from the burning of plastic and metal. Merak knew he had to calm down but he just couldn’t control his harsh breathing and his pounding heart.

 

“How many are left?”

 

The voice of his captain forced the speakers to work. Merak froze in fear even though he needed to answer.

 

“How many?!”

 

Merak barely registered his own hand fly towards the microphone, pulling it closer to him in one quick movement.

 

“N-nine ships, s-sir” he stuttered into the microphone. “Including your father’s ship.”

 

Another boom caused both Merak’s ship and Merak to shake and his heart to beat a million times a minute.

 

“Okay, what’s your name, private?” Captain Xephos said and his calm tone helped Merak to breathe, to allow oxygen into his burning lungs. If his captain could stay calm then so could he.

 

“Merak,” he replied but he was so sure it came out more like a whimper. Merak cursed himself for sounding weak in front of his commanding officer and cursed himself again for being unable to stop shaking.

 

“Okay, Merak.” Another shot rang out as it hit the metal exterior of  one of the neighboring ships.  “You need to listen to me. Turn back and tell the rest of the soldiers to follow you. I’ll hold them off.”

 

“What about General Xephos?!” Merak cried. “He’s our best fighter, he should stay here!”

 

“No, he’s going with you too. Don’t disobey me, Private Merak!” His captain growled and Merak wondered why he even tried to argue. His captain always knew what to do, Merak had the highest amount of respect for him.

 

“Yes, sir!”

 

Merak gritted his teeth to calm his nerves. He had to stay calm, he had to get out of there. He promised his parents he would return in one piece and he wasn’t one to break promises that easily. The only sounds he could hear was the sharp bangs of bullets against metal and the faint crackling of his speakers. A feeling of dread replaced the blood in his veins as he piloted his ship out of the range of fire and away from his captain.

 

“And Captain Xephos?” he said softly as he flew further and further away with the rest of the ships, “I just wanted to say that you were the best leader we’ve ever had. I hope we made you proud.”

 

The broken sound of his captain’s voice through the speaker flooded the cabin but Merak was too far away from him to understand him clearly. He heard a few scattered words like “soldier” and “father” but the rest was far too muffled.

 

Ships fell out of the sky around him like shooting stars towards Merak suppressed a cry and carried on flying, trying not to think of all the friends who had just lost their lives in the unforgiving harshness of fire and space.

 

He risked looking back, just one small peek.

 

His heart skipped a few beats when he saw the large cannon ball smash into the side of his captain’s ship, the ship Merak knew he loved. Merak’s mouth opened for a silent scream as Xephos’ ship was thrown like a ragdoll towards its certain death.

 

“The captain and the general are down!” Somebody shouted over the speakers as the gunfire began to relent. “Follow their last command, carry on retreating!”

 

Merak didn’t need to be told twice. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Merak pushed forward. His ship passed the others and began to rattle with the strain. He had to survive, he had to live so that he could make sure Captain Xephos didn’t die in vain. A sudden thought caused his grip on the control panel to tighten even more.

 

Someone had to tell his family.

 

Merak didn’t know Captain Xephos’s family personally, nor did anyone else for that matter, but he felt like it was his duty. He thought about all the things he knew about the family.

 

Captain Xephos had a mother who would weep at his loss, he had an older sister who would cry that he was “gone too soon”, and worst of all he had a very young daughter. Far too young to hear about the horrible battle that claimed her father’s life.

 

“Private Merak, are you injured?”

 

He blinked himself out of his thoughts as the voice of command floated through the speakers.

 

“No, I’m fine,” he said quickly as he prepared his ship for landing. “But Captain Xephos-”

 

The voice at command sighed. “We know, private. Both Captain and General Xephos’s ships got hit.”

 

Captain Xephos’s father had got hit too? The weight that had been on his shoulders ever since he witnessed the cannonball embed itself in Xephos’ ship got ten times as heavy.

 

“Does his family know?” Merak asked, scared for an answer. He knew it was inappropriate to ask that question but he had to know.

 

“They’ve been… notified.”

 

Some of the weight lifted off his shoulders. He didn’t have to tell his family, he didn’t have to witness them mourning their loved family member.

 

“You’re clear to land, Private Merak.”

  
Merak sighed and shut off the speaker as he began to descend back towards Tenebrae.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's death and blood in this chapter, don't read if it makes you feel uncomfortable.

-2 Years Later-

“Is it clear?” Merak asked with concern, glancing up at the large house. The soldier beside him shrugged before walking forward to place explosives.

“I shouted everyone out,” he said distractedly. “So if there’s anyone still in there then it’s their own fault.”

Merak frowned but didn’t comment on how dangerous that was. “Whose house is this?”

“Does it matter?”

“I don’t get why the buildings have to be destroyed,” Merak began, watching as the other soldier set up the bombs. “I mean, we’re all leaving, right? Who cares that the buildings stay?”

The other soldier walked back next to the truck, the headlights compensating for the fading lights that usually lit up the streets. “If they remain then those underlings will live in them,” he said, his deep voice almost like a monster’s growl. “So they have to go.”

Merak wanted to protest but he held his tongue. He had been trusted to do this job, he couldn’t mess it up by disobeying orders.

The soldier reached into his pockets and passed Merak the small cylinder. “You want to do the honors, kid?” he chucked, his dull green eyes casting a sickly light on Merak’s face. “Just press the button. It’s so simple that even a Demitto baby could do it.”

He could hear the mocking in the soldier's voice loud and clear and it filled him with rage that was burning even hotter than the furnaces that littered the streets. He was sick of other soldiers looking down on him, calling him a coward. They didn’t know; they weren’t there during the battle.

So, with a motion so quick that the other soldier almost blinked and missed it, Merak pressed the button.

The explosives erupted into fire and loud bangs all around the foundation of the large, steel house. The building groaned as the walls crumbled and the explosions threw the rubble into the air. There was an almighty crash as the building crumbled and collapsed in on itself, sending a massive plume of smoke and dust up into the air where it held for a few seconds before floating back towards the ground. Both Merak and the soldier coughed as the dust made its way into their lungs.

“I guess there’s a reason we’re given masks,” the other soldier said with a shrug as he snatched the detonator back. He brushed the dust off of his rumpled uniform with an unconcerned motion. “Collect any spare explosives and-”

Merak interrupted the man with a cry as the dust settled, allowing him to see a small and still figure in the crater full of rubble. “It’s a child!” Merak shouted, grabbing the man’s arm. “We have to help!”

The man growled and ripped his arm out of Merak’s grasp. “Kid, I don’t have to do anything. I did my job and now I’m leaving. Do what you want but don’t expect me to wait for you here to give you a ride back to HQ.” With those words, the soldier swung himself into the jeep, not sparing a glance to the injured child as he drove away on the broken road. Merak gasped and rushed to the child’s side. As he got closer he could see in the dim light that it was a small girl who couldn’t be much older than 6 years old.

“Can you move?! Are you hurt?! Can you speak?!” Merak rushed, hands hovering above the injured girl. She gave a small cry and didn’t open her eyes. “If you can speak I can help you better!”

The girl took in a shuddering breath. “My side,” she whimpered and her hand twitched. “Hurts a lot. And my h-head.”

Merak’s eyes flittered down the girl’s abdomen and all the air rushed out of his lungs. Her stomach was slashed by shrapnel far beyond repair and blood just wouldn’t stop flowing into the damp dirt. His hands flew to cover the worst of the injuries but even he knew it was a futile effort when the blood continued to bubble between his fingers.

“It’s going to be okay. Do you have a name? A family?”

The girl nodded and cried out in pain from the movement. “M-Mira,” she stuttered as Merak applied more pressure to stem the flow of blood. “I have an Aunt and Grandmother and my daddy.” She let out a whimper. “I was waiting for my daddy.”

“Okay, Mira,” Merak started, trying to stay calm for the dying girl. “I’m sure your daddy is rushing here right as we speak. Just think about him and hold on so he can see you, okay?”

The girl’s eyes fluttered open and a purple light lit up the blood soaked area of her clothes. Mira’s breath caught in her throat as she saw the damage to her side.

“Nono, don’t look down there, nothing you want to see down there.” He smiled as she looked up at his face. “Where is your grandmother?”

“I don’t know!” Mira raised a hand to wipe at her tears, leaving a thick swipe of blood on her cheek. “Am.. Am I going to die?”

Merak couldn’t bear to tell her the truth. “No, Mira, you’re not dying,” he said with a fake smile. “Your daddy wouldn’t allow that, would he?”

“No, he wouldn’t never ever.” The girl blinked and her eyes filled with tears again. “He promised.”

Merak nodded, not sure what she was talking about but could see it was causing distress.

“Do you want water?” he asked gently, praying to whatever was out there to perform a miracle and save the small girl. “I have a blanket in my car.”

He cursed himself as soon as he said it when he remembered that the car had already left with the blanket and anything that could have been used to patch up her wounds.

“No no, don’t leave me, please!” The small girl reached out a shaky hand and grabbed at his uniform. “I don’t want to be alone.”

Merak pretended that her grip wasn’t leaving a large bloodstain on his shirt that was the exact shape of her impossibly tiny hand.

“I won’t leave you, Mira. Not if you don’t want me to.” Merak bit his lip and removed one of his hands from her wound to brush back the long, dark brown hair that had fell from her braid in a comforting manner. “Are you scared?”  
Mira hesitated before giving the smallest of nods, groaning when it sent a sharp, stabbing pain through her head.

“Okay, listen to me, okay?” He carried on stroking her hair. “I want you to close your eyes and think about your daddy, okay? That way he will arrive quicker.”

“Okay,” she squeaked and Merak could see her skin getting paler and paler. The blood on his hands was starting to cool and he was so sure that her body was cooling down too.

Merak could feel tears prick at his eyes but he held them back. Soldiers didn’t cry, especially not when comforting a dying girl.

“Tell me about him,” he commanded softly, before raising her head carefully so it rested on his knees. He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible before she inevitably passed. “I bet he’s great.”

Mira smiled though it was far too weak. “He’s tall.”

“Tall?” Merak said with a forced laugh. “Is that all?”

“And brave too. He went to space to help us.” Mira’s voice shook and she paused to let out a pained whimper. “He was important.”

Merak’s heart dropped into his stomach. He remembered the amount of ships that fell out of the sky during the battle. Could one of those ships be the ship that her father had piloted? He didn’t want to think about that, he had to believe that her father was still on Tenebrae and was looking for her. He didn’t want the small girl to die in his arms; it wasn’t right for a child as small as her to die in a stranger’s arms.

“He… he called me pumpkin,” Mira continued though her speak was becoming slurred and quieter. “I-I want my d-daddy.”

“I know sweetie, I know.”

Merak was about to reassure her that she was going to be okay and that she was going to see her daddy but it was too late. The hand that was gripping his shirt became weaker and weaker until it fell to the ground and her head lolled back into his lap. The blood kept flowing but her chest had ceased to move.

“No, no, don’t give up!” He cried, pressing harder on her gaping wound. He finally allowed the tears to flow, allowed himself this small moment to grieve for the small girl he had just met.

“I’m sorry,” Merak whispered, gently laying her down onto the ground. He stood up shakily, very obviously ignoring the large stain on the front of his shirt. Merak wished with all his heart that he believed in an afterlife, that he could believe that the small girl would be reunited with her father in a better place but he just couldn’t force himself to believe.

So instead he walked away, not looking back to the cooling body that was once the small girl with bright purple eyes. Instead, he didn’t even think about it, just focusing on doing his job. The time to grieve had passed.

After all, war was in the air and civilian casualties were a necessary evil.

At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself.


End file.
